Published Thursday, 24 May 2012
We’re sorry. This video is unavailable from your location.
Are you in Northern Ireland?
1. Why is my postcode required?
We are asking you to insert your postcode before watching some videos to confirm
you can access the video content via u.tv.
This is because some videos on u.tv
are only available in Northern Ireland.
Don't worry, we won't store or use this information for any other purpose.
If you are not in Northern Ireland, the content may be available to watch at itv.com or stv.tv.
2. Why am I directed to itv.com
or stv.tv when I try to view certain
clips?
The videos, which are not available on u.tv
to users outside Northern Ireland, will be available to those users on itv.com (for users in England and Wales) or stv.tv (for most users in Scotland).
We need to know where you are in order to make sure you are getting the right content.
If you think we've got your location wrong, then please
click here.
Need more help? Contact us
The party leader made the move after deciding that the process would "actually undermine, rather than build upon, the Shared Future strategy put in place in 2005".
Mr Ford has written to the First and deputy First Ministers to confirm the move.
From now on, we believe that the debate about how we achieve a genuinely shared future should take place in public, not behind closed doors. No more illusions.
David Ford
"The current process has become an attempt at creating an illusion - an illusion that the DUP and Sinn Fein are serious about agreeing a strategy that will actually promote a shared society," he said.
According to Mr Ford, the working group - which has been seeking to produce a replacement for the Cohesion, Sharing and Integration strategy previously published by OFMdFM - was established after four years of inaction and his party had participated fully for the last eight months.
"Recently, it has become apparent that the process was coming to an end," he said.
"Not, as we had worked for, with a document that reflected the high ambitions of the people who responded to their last attempt - but with a document that reflected the other parties' lowest common denominator.
"Instead of setting the bar at a meaningful and visionary level, and working to achieve it, they appear determined to set it so low that everyone can step over it without making any real difference to this community's future."
First Minister Peter Robinson said he was surprised and disappointed at the decision which he described as a "boycott."
"No one can get absolutely everything they want out of a five party working group trying to find consensus, but we were making good progress on the document.
He added: "When Alliance thought they may not get everything they demanded, they childishly walked away from the table."
He accused the Alliance Party of making "no serious attempt" to achieve a shared agreement on good relations.
Sinn Fein MLA Martina Anderson said that eight months into the process the Alliance came to the latest meeting and flagged up issues that they said were "non negotiable."
She said that at no time in the previous eight month period had the party brought the package of demands to the table.
Ms Anderson continued: "In fact they were not actively involved in the process."
She continued: "For over a decade we have been on a journey from conflict and division to peace and there are many tangible signs of progress. Good Relations is an essential part of all of this and we are absolutely committed to delivering on this issue."